While Andy Serkis has appeared onThe Simpsonsonce before, the iconic actor played dual roles in season 36’s latest outing.The Simpsonsseason 37’s renewalhasn’t been announced yet and, by the looks of things, the long-running series is pulling out all the stops to ensure its continued survival. It might be hard to imagine a world withoutThe Simpsons, but recent seasons have seen the series inject new life and creativity into the world of Springfield and the town’s most famous family. According toVultureand many others,The Simpsonsis finally good again.
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Whilethe Simpsons never age, the show’s comedy did decline critically in the years since 2000. Seasons 30-33 were seen as something of a nadir for the series, prompting seasons 34, 35, and 36 to focus less on constant gags and more on character work. This paid off with some of the show’s best reviews in decades, butThe Simpsonsis not stopping there. Season 36 is also home to numerous ambitious high-concept episodes, includingThe Simpsons’short story anthology in season 36, episode 6, “Women In Shorts,” and an extended Ray Bradbury homage in the very next outing.
Andy Serkis’ Two Roles In The Simpsons Season 36, Episode 7 Explained
The Lord of the Rings Actor Pulls Double Duty In The Ray Bradbury Homage
Season 36, episode 7, “Treehouse of Horror Presents Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes”, is the second Treehouse of Horror Presents episode after season 34’s “Not It.” This earlier outing parodied Stephen King’s iconic horror novelIt, while season 36’s anthology episode spoofed three classic stories from genre fiction legend Ray Bradbury.Andy Serkis played both the illustrated man and Siegfried Blazein “Treehous of Horror Presents Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes,” with the former character presenting the episode’s framing device while the latter is the villain of the final segment’s story. This segment is a parody ofFahrenheit 451.
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Serkis’ dual roles allowed the actor to play two very different characters, with the first being an out-of-luck carny covered in magical tattoos who Lisa took pity on. The second was a cold, imperious fascist dictator who enforced a ban on trashy TV inThe Simpsons’Fahrenheit 451spoof. This segment allowedThe Simpsonsseason 36 to mockFamily Guyby including its rival among the shows that this dystopian government considered intellectually worthless, alongsideYoung Sheldon, theReal Housewivesfranchise, andNCIS. Before this, Serkis appeared once onThe Simpsons.
Andy Serkis Has Played Multiple Roles In Previous Projects
Various Movies and Shows Took Advantage Of Serkis’s Versatility
In season 14, episode 18, “Dude Where’s My Ranch,” Serkis played the role of Cleanie, a cleaning assistant at the dude ranch where the Simpson family stayed.Serkis’ first role inThe Simpsonswas a brief parody of his famousLord of the Ringsroleas Gollum, whereas “Treehouse of Horror Presents Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes” offered the actor more screen time and more opportunities to show his range. Fortunately for Serkis, the star has previously played numerous roles in the same project, most notably in the moviesStanding Room OnlyandKing Kong.
Siegfried Blaze is a genuinely threatening presence in his segment, and this makes the episode’s comedic elements all the better in contrast.
His most famous role, as Gollum/Smeagol in theLord of the Ringstrilogy, also arguably constitutes a dual role of sorts thanks to the unhinged character’s wildly different personalities. While the episode’sFahrenheit 451parody wasn’t thescariest Treehouse of Horror Halloween storyever, Serkis did make the wise choice to play the segment’s villain straight. Siegfried Blaze is a genuinely threatening presence in his segment, and this makes the episode’s comedic elements all the better in contrast. In contrast, the two earlier stories featured Luann Van Houten and a robotic clone of Superintendent Chalmers as their villains.
Serkis’ The Simpsons Character Set Up A Dark Ending
Lisa Ended Up Trapped As One Of The Illustrated Man’s Tattoos
While Siegfried Blaze was the closest thing that “Treehouse of Horror Presents Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes” had to a real villain, he didn’t provide the episode’s scariest scene. That arrived in the ending whenLisa became trapped in one of the Illustrated Man’s creepy tattoos. This classic twist felt like something straight out of one of Bradbury’s short stories and, while the show inevitably added a funny punchline to deflate the tension, it was a genuinely clever, dark note for the outing to end on.
The Simpsonslost some of its luster as the show aged, but season 36 has repeatedly shown that the series still has some creative juice.
From transformingThe Simpsonssupporting star Luann Van Houteninto a villain to enlisting Serkis in dual roles for an homage to Bradbury, “Treehouse of Horror Presents Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes” proved that there is still life and ingenuity in the series yet.The Simpsonslost some of its luster as the show aged, but season 36 has repeatedly shown that the series still has some creative juice. Andy Serkis’ two roles helped with this, showcasing the potential ofThe Simpsonseven as the series nears its thirty-seventh year on TV.
